The Experiment
by AshHole7660
Summary: Cloud is a prisoner of the ShinRa, his body being used as a biological experiment. An evil emperor from another world has teamed up with Rufus to rule both worlds. The two groups from two different worlds must ban together to defeat this brooding evil, before life as they know it is doomed.
1. A very Brief explanation

Hello fans! This is my first crossover fanfiction, so here's a super short synopsis of what is going on here.

I made this very...and I mean VERY vague, as to not give away too much of the plot. I hope you enjoy!

Six months ago, Cloud Strife was captured after being injured by an explosion at a mako reactor. He was immediately sent to the science lab, where he is being used for experiments to test his strength and durability. The Shinra wanted to know how much his enhanced body could really take, where his breaking point is.

In the meantime, his friends frantically search for their lost comrade. Tifa begins to long for her lost love so intensely, she begins to have dreams, dreams which make her believe she knows where he is. Is she correct? Will they find Cloud before he is reduced to a pile of ash?

They think they have won, but then the group run into another group as they are stranded in a forest. What happens when they find out that something much more sinister is going on behind the closed doors of ShinRa inc.? Keep reading to find out!

**IMPORTANT NOTICE**

ive added a few special appearences of names or places from other games or movies. if you see one, comment with it. if you are correct, ill promote one of your stories of your choosing! and there is one specific one im looking to see if anyone knows!


	2. Electricity and dreams

His skin was pale, sweat dripping from his forehead like a leaky faucet. His eyes were squeezed shut, the apparent strain and pain showing on his face. He wanted to brush the hundreds of wires off his arms and head, but his hands were fastened down to a gurney. The currents of electricity were piercing his skull, making it impossible to move or even think. Seconds seemed like minutes, and minutes seemed like hours. Finally, a horrific scream of pain escaped his throat, and the current stopped. The room went quiet, the only sound being the scratching of pen on paper, and the man's shallow, staggered breathing. After a few minutes, the lead scientist walked up to the gurney and began removing the wires from the man's body.

"It seems you are losing your resistance Cloud." He chuckled. "And it is about time. Finally the unbreakable Cloud becomes….breakable." Cloud opened his eyes, staring into the cold eyes of professor Hojo. He inhaled deep and spit into his face.

"I…will…never be…broken." Cloud stammered. His skin was tingling, his mouth was dry, he was mentally and physically exhausted, but he refused to give in to the one power he hated: Shinra INC. Hojo wiped the saliva from his face and took a cloth out of his pocket. He crammed it into Cloud's mouth.

"No more of that my fine specimen. We have more experiments to conduct." He tapped his face mockingly. "Take him back to his cell." Hojo's interns grabbed the gurney and began to roll it down the hall, Taking cloud back to his holding cell. The hallways in the Shinra building twisted and turned like a long, never ending snake; the belly of the beast. The interns ripped Clouds limp body from the gurney and threw him into the cell, slamming the door. Cloud slowly crawled to the cot in the corner, curled up under the tattered blanket and fell asleep.

He dreamt of her. It had been so long since the last time he saw her face, heard the laugh that always sent his heart into knots. He wasn't sure of how long ago he had been captured after the explosion at the mako reactor in north Corel, when they had been separated. What he did know was that he wanted her in his arms again, he wanted to tell her that he loved her. She didn't know about his affection, and he was afraid if he died here she would never know.

"Cloud? Cloud can you hear me?" Her voice echoed through his subconscious. "Cloud, I want you back! I need to find you again!" Her distressed cries rang through his ears like a church bell. He fell into a deeper sleep. Now he could see her, and himself.

"There you are Cloud…" Her smile lit up his dream. "I've missed you…" She walked over to him.

"Tifa…" His voice echoed. "I am in the Shinra building. They are using me for experiments." Her eyes filled with tears as she walked over to him. He cupped her face in his hands.

"I will be there soon Cloud. I promise." He pulled her face to his, their foreheads touching.

"I need to confess something to you Tifa." Cloud said, their lips coming closer and closer. "I…" He paused; Tifa began to disappear, slowly fading away." He began to feel frantic. "I love you Tifa! I love you!" He yelled. But it was no use…she was gone. And it was just him, alone, inside his cold cell, waiting for Hojo to conduct another inhumane experiment on his already battered body.


	3. Disguises

"I don't know Tifa…" Barret said, sitting at one of the tables in Tifa's bar. "All your other dreams were wrong…"

"Yeah, we have traveled everywhere. I don't know how much longer the Highwind is going to last." Cid said, taking a drink of liquor. The group sat in the bar, the atmosphere thick with grief. They were a bunch of misfits, a man with a gun grafted to his arm, a slender woman with exceptional fighting skills, a pilot, a lion-like beast, a young female ninja, an ex turk, and an electric stuffed cat toy.

"Cloud is strong…I'm sure he is looking for us as hard as we are looking for him. I doubt he is in one specific place." Red XII said while licking his paw.

"Red XII is right Tifa." Yuffie said, "There's no way he got captured by the Shinra."

"I'm telling you the truth! The dream was so vivid….more vivid than the others. I could FEEL him! It wasn't a dream, he was really there!" Tifa put her head in her hands and let out a distressed exhale. "I know he's there." Everything was silent for a few minutes, as the group finished their drinks. Vincent was the first to break the silence.

"You know…Tifa may be right." Everyone turned their heads towards Vincent, confusion on their faces. "Think about it for a minute. Who is always around the reactors? The Shinra. Who's always trying to weaken our forces? The Shinra." He looked around at the rest of the group and fell silent.

"He has a point…" Barret said. "Hojo 'specially has had his eye on him. Maybe we should check it out." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Papa! Papa!" A yell was heard from outside. Marlene busted through the door. Her hair was a mess and she was sweating.

"What Marlene? Did someone hurt you? Are you ok?!" Barret jumped from his chair and grabbed his daughter, hugging her tight.

"Papa! Put me down you are crushing me!" Barret let Marlene go and looked her in the eyes.

"Tell me what's goin' on."

"Soldiers are everywhere!" She said, pointing out the door. "They were saying stuff about the capitol building being completely blocked off, due to some experiment they are doing. Says they don't want you guys busting in and ruining it. Papa, they have Uncle Cloud!" She finished, taking a deep breath. Everyone gasped.

"How do you know that Marlene?" Tifa asked, getting on her knees so she was eyelevel with Marlene.

"Heard some men in blue talking about it. Said they had 'that Cloud fellow' up at the Shinra capitol." Tifa looked back at Barret and the others, and they all made a silent agreement that it was time to go.

"We know where he is, now the question is, how are we going to get in with all the security?" They were all silent for a minute or two.

"I could disguise myself as a scientist to observe the experimentation." Yuffie said, breaking the silence.

"Yuffie, that's so dangerous. Are you sure you want to risk it?" Tifa asked her. She shook her head.

"We need to save Cloud. He's saved my ass many times, its time for me to save his." Cait Sith moved in closer to speak.

"You can meet me at the building. I'll let you in, say you are a scientist. We can make you a fake I.D and everything. Maybe dress you in lab attire. It's perfect." He clapped his hands. "You can't come alone though. Someone else will have to come with you…" He paused a moment, "Barret's too hard to disguise with that gun, Red XIII won't do….Cid you're face is on everything, what about you Tifa? We could disguise you and Yuffie as sisters. Just slap a little make up on ya, put your hair up and give you a pair of glasses. Make you two look alike."

"That's…a really good idea Cait Sith." Vincent said. Red XIII licked his paw.

"I agree with Vincent. It's basically perfect." Cid said. "So lets get started right away. We'll leave at dawn."

"I look so silly in this get-up!" Yuffie said, looking down at her newly pressed lab uniform and white coat. Her hair was brushed neatly behind her in a ponytail. She looked over at tifa, who had on a pair of glasses, hair up in a bun and the same lab uniform.

"It's t save Cloud….remember that." She gave Yuffie a pat on the back and handed her a card, which had her fake I.D on it.

"Ok the story is, My name is Yuna Stockholm and you are my older sister Lara. We are both scientists who have been living in cosmo canyon and wanted to take part in observing the experiment they have going." Yuffie said, scratching her head trying to remember details.

"That's perfect Yuffie. We are almost there, so mentally prepare yourself." Barret looked over at Tifa and Yuffie. He cleared his throat before speaking.

"Now, you may see some things that you aint gonna like." He started, "but don't break yo character."

"Barret…thanks. For trusting us and listening to my dream. Now, lets go get cloud back once and for all!" Yuffie and Tifa said their final goodbyes, and approached the capitol building. Sure enough, the whole perimeter was blocked with soldiers. When they approached the front doors, two high ranking soldiers stopped them.

"Names and Identification cards please." Tifa and Yuffie pulled out their cards and handed them to the soldier on the left.

"My name is Lara Storkholm, and this is my younger sister Yuna. We are from Cosmo Canyon." The left soldier gave back their cards and the one on the right held up a wanted poster, comparing both females to it. The wanted poster was of Tifa. She felt her heart sink as he held it up to her face. After a few seconds of panic, he lowered the picture and motioned them inside. "Reeve will show you where you will be staying. We hope observing our experiment proves helpful to you two…beautiful ladies." He winked and licked his lips. Just at that moment, Reeve showed up behind them.

"Stop harassing our guests Cadets. You make me sick." He turned to Tifa and Yuffie. "Ah! If it isn't Yuna and Lara. We've been expecting you. Here, let me show you to your rooms." He smiled warmly at them and led them down the hallway to a set of bedrooms. He closed the door behind them.

"The Experiments start tomorrow. We can get him then. Just lay low. Dinner will be served in one hour. I'd…love for you to join me." He smiled at the women, who nodded back at him. Reeve closed the door on the way out.

"Its strange to see him in person." Yuffie said, "I mean, him and I talk so often through Cait Sith, that seeing his real self is kind of a shock."

"Well, they trust Reeve, and he obviously gets along with you Yuffie. So Play it off. Ask him about his job, even though we already know about it. Try to get into conversation with those around him as well. I'm going to try to listen in to see if there's any word on cloud."

"Roger that!" Yuffie said, winking at Tifa. "We better get going though, still have to unpack and what not." They sat in silence, not knowing that no matter how much they mentally prepared for this, they wouldn't be able to stomach the horrors they would see the following day.


	4. Strangers

"We're going down!" The pilot yelled as the Highwind began to descend towards the ocean. Cid ran over to the pilot and looked at the controls.

"It seems our engine has been shot! Try to land on this island." He pointed to the screen map. The pilot began to decrease his altitude to land on the island. It was a remote island, away from any other land. Surely no one would find them there. They went down even further, and the passengers could see the tops of trees. They were landing in a forest. They crashed into a large oak tree, and all went silent.

"Get Cloud outside!" Barret yelled, tearing the smashed door open. Vincent and Reeve carried him out, placing him on the wet ground. Blood was covering everyone. Tifa ran over to cloud, putting his torso on her legs and held him close, his skin growing paler and paler every second.

"We need to stop the bleeding. Does anyone know how to do stitches?" Yuffie asked, placing a cloth on his sweating forehead.

"I can stitch." Reeve said. "Does anyone have any thread or a needle?" He asked.

"All I have are these hooks…" Cid said.

"That will work…now all we need is thread." Reeve said, looking around for some form of string.

"You could use the hair on my tail." Red XIII said. "It's thick like a humans fishing line." Tifa was holding a shirt to the deep wound to Cloud's stomach.

"He isn't responding to touch…." She sobbed, holding him closer. Reeve began to stitch Cloud shut.

"I'm gonna collec' some firewood…." Barret said, letting out a large breath, "anyone wanna join me?"

"I'll come with you." Vincent and Cid said in unison. The two men walked off into the forest. Leaving Tifa, Red XIII and Reeve alone.

"Why did you decide to join us Reeve?" Red XIII asked, wincing as Reeve pulled out another hair.

"I'm sorry you are hurting…" Reeve said, looking at Red XIII sadly.

"The pain is worth not losing a friend over. But you didn't answer my question."

"I decided to join you because I was already with you through Cait Sith. They were going to figure me out someday anyway, so why not just join you physically instead of through a stuffed toy?" Red XIII bowed his head down, showing that he understood.

"That makes sense…that cat was annoying anyway." He laughed sadly. Tifa had blood covering her arms legs and shirt. She cradled his head in her arms; occasionally wiping blood from his mouth. All she could think was how he had to live…how she refused to lose him again.

"Finished." Reeve said, placing the hook in his pocket. "Red, shall we leave these two alone for a minute? See how the firewood is coming?" Red XIII nodded and they both got up, leaving Cloud and Tifa alone. Tifa looked at Cloud, his skin white as snow. She felt a tear slide down her cheek, and it landed on his forehead. Then she saw his eye twitch.

"Cloud? Are you waking up?" She whispered, brushing his hair out of his face. "Cloud, can you hear me?"

"Ti…fa? Is….that you?" Cloud spoke in a soft, shallow voice.

"Cloud!" Tifa yelled. "Can you open your eyes?" Cloud's eyebrows twitched again, but his eyes remained closed.

"Tifa…is this real? Are you really here? I can't…see anything…" He whispered.

"Cloud, I'm here…I am really here…" She cupped his face in her hands. He finally forced his eyes to open, to the sight of Tifa, holding him on her lap, tears in her eyes. She began to sob.

"I…we thought you were dead. Yuffie and I…we saw what they were doing…I…" She couldn't continue. He slowly lifted his hand and placed it on her cheek.

"What matters now…is that we are here, together." He forced a smile. "and…just having you close makes me feel better." Tifa's heart skipped a beat.

"Do you really mean that Cloud?" She asked, holding him closer.

"Of course I do. Every second I was trapped there, all I could think of was how much I wanted you next to me. I missed your touch, your scent, your voice…I began to dream of you every night. It kept me alive…" Tifa inhaled sharply.

"Cloud, I dreamt of you every night as well. I could almost feel you for real…that's how I knew where to find you. You told me where you were." She brushed his hair out of his face.

"I thought you were dead…your breath left your body, and you didn't breathe anymore." Cloud tried to sit up. "No, don't try to sit. You will be okay. I promise."

"Finally awake huh?" Yuffie said as she began to stack firewood. The corners of Cloud's mouth began to curl upwards into a weak smile.

"You're really brave Yuffie, you know that?" She sarcastically laughed, her cheeks going pink.

"Nah, we just couldn't leave you there." She stacked the rest of the logs and used her material to light them. The rest of the group rejoined, sitting around the fire, celebrating the discovery of their other member. As the night progressed, Cloud began to slip in and out of consciousness, his skin staying an ashy color.

"So, it looks like we are going to be stranded for a while. The Highwind is out of commission." Cid said, taking a drink. Vincent put his head down.

"We need to either figure out how to fix it, or see if there is anything on this island in terms of civilization." He said, everyone nodding in unison. As if their minds had been read, footsteps began to approach them.

"Whose there?" Barret said, raising his arm. The group all stood, ready for combat. Another group of people emerged from the shadows. There were four people there, three men and a woman. One of the men in the group raised a boomerang of knives. He was the first to speak,

"I think the question is, who are you?" The female in the group noticed Cloud dying on the ground. She pushed the man's weapon down.

"I don't think they are a threat. Look, one of them is hurt. And also, it looks like there's been an accident here. Is that true?" She looked Barret in the eyes, who in turn, lowered his arm.

"Yea, that's right. Friend of ours, he, um, got taken by the Shinra and they damn near killed 'em." He said. "We crashed leavin the capitol." The woman looked at him, confusion written on her face. One of the other men, this one looking like royalty, stepped forward as well.

"What are your names? And what is the Shinra?" Barret looked at them, dumbstruck.

"Well, I'm Barret, Our group here, we're called Avalanche. We fight against the government, which is the Shinra." The other group of people nodded, showing that they were listening. Yuffie got up and joined Barret, who welcomed her to finish the explanation. "The one whose dying? That's Cloud. The Shinra kidnapped him and were doing experiments on him because he is a, well how would you put it, a modified human. He has abilities that any normal human wouldn't. Sitting with him, she's Tifa. The lion like thing, his name is Red XIII. Cid is the guy next to him, he owned the aircraft that we crashed. Vincent is the quiet one over there, My name is Yuffie, and finally the guy over there is Reeve. He used to work for the Shinra, but left them for us." She took in a deep breath. "Now, who are all of you?" The last man in the group to speak, a tough, toned man who had a striking resemblance to the royal looking man stepped forward.

"My name is Sabin." He looked at the others in the group, who began to introduce themselves as well.

"My names Celes, I too used to be a general for our corrupt empire and went astray." She slid her hand into the hand of another man in their group, the one with the boomerang.

"I'm Locke, a treasure hunter." Finally the last man stepped forward, but he took Yuffies hand in his and gently left a kiss on the back of it.

"My name is Edgar, King of Figaro." Yuffie's cheeks turned a light shade of pink and she giggled. "It looks like you all could use help. We happen to have our own aircraft, and could probably help you out. There are others of us back there, some of which could help your friend there. Cloud you said his name was?" Tifa looked at the man speaking and smiled.

"As much as I don't put my trust into strange people in a random forest, it looks like you're genuine, I say we go." The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Sabin walked over to Tifa and scooped Cloud into his arms.

"Sounds great, follow us!" They began walking into the dark forest.

"It's really interesting that you say you are a group against your government." Locke said to Barret as they walked. "We are too. We are a group called 'The Returners.' We fight against the evil Emperor from our own land, who caused a kind of apocalypse." Yuffie, who was walking next to Edgar, spoke up.

"That's terrible. But, if you are from a different land, why are you here?" She looked at Edgar, who let out a sigh.

"We heard the Emperor, Kefka is his name, after dispatching the last emperor came here, looking for an accomplice. We want to stop him before he destroys yet another world." They walked silently for a moment, then Tifa spoke up.

"Well, we can all hope, this Kefka doesn't begin working with President Rufus, if that's why hes here, the world really will end."


End file.
